Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
This forum is used with the NationStates web-game designed and run by Max Barry. While not officially affiliated, this serves as the regional forum for the regions: Middle East, African Continent, American Continent, Asian Continent, and European Continent.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and can "read only".

In order to get the most out of these forums, please become a member and read this guide - http://z3.invisionfree.com/nationstates/index.php?showtopic=3060


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Football: 2nd World Cup
Topic Started: Sep 1 2010, 07:40 PM (845 Views)
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Kandy Does It Again

Having shocked the football world once before by handing a solid defeat to the powerful Kasnyians during the World Cup Qualifications, the Kandy victory this time around is at least twice as sweet. In a match that saw a fast budding rivalry between two Asian foes, the Kingdom of Kandy stole away victory just in the nick of time. A devastating challenge from a Kasnyian midfielder who was hurrying back to aid the defense during a run by the Kandy offence brought up a free kick just outside the penalty area in the 87th minute of play, avoiding a direct penalty kick but not the goal that would follow from a beautiful strike from the Kandy captain. The shot rose sharply as it bended around the wall of defenders and swooped past the outstretched arms of the Kasnyian goalkeeper.

In the other match rounding out the Round of 16, Porcu added to its characteristic resume of low scoring victories with a timely goal and suffocating defense.

========================================================================================

Matchday 16 Fixture (Round of 16)

Alexanderhaven - Porcu [0 - 1]
Kasnyia - Kingdom of Kandy [0 - 1]

========================================================================================

Knockout Stage Schedule (Quarterfinals)

Matchday 17
Ireland - California

Matchday 18
Paradise - Icelaim

Matchday 19
Porcu - Rome-Byzantine Empire

Matchday 20
New Harumf - Kingdom of Kandy

========================================================================================

Matchday 17 Preview (Quarterfinals)
Ireland - California
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Ireland Falls

Playing most of the match with only ten men, Ireland simply could not match the speed of the Californians and lost because of it. Reduced to ten men after a red card was given to an Irish midfielder for a brutal tackle, Ireland quickly fell behind by two goals, surrendered ten minutes apart early in the match, and could only play catch-up for the rest of the match.

The California goalkeeper had to be sharp still, making two key saves late in the first half when Ireland seemed to be getting some momentum. However, from the second half onward Ireland rarely threatened to score, though they did managed to put the ball in the net off of a corner in the 66th minute of play.

========================================================================================

Matchday 17 Preview (Quarterfinals)

Ireland - California [1 - 2]

========================================================================================

Matchday 18 Preview (Quarterfinals)

Paradise - Icelaim
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Tempers Flair In Win

One cinderella story has come to an end here in the second World Cup, as the Mid Eastern giant of Paradise eliminated a regional rival. One might expect frustration and disappointment to be showcased by the losers, but in this case it is the exact opposite. Despite leading at two different points in the game, the Paradisian coach voiced his frustration with his team's performance multiple times while on the sideline, one announcer believing to read the word "schizophrenic". At one point, a quarrel seemed to erupt between the coach and several members of his team, though order was eventually re-established through the intervention of FIFA officials.

Strangeness aside, Paradise moves on to the semifinals of the World Cup, their title hopes still very much alive.

========================================================================================

Matchday 18 Fixture (Quarterfinals)

Paradise - Icelaim [3 - 2]

========================================================================================

Matchday 19 Preview (Quarterfinals)

Porcu - Rome-Byzantine Empire
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Characteristic Win

It may be fair to say that many football fans are uninspired by the lack of goalscoring typical of Porcuian matches, but that certainly does not degrade the victories themselves. Porcu added another close victory to its historical resume, padding their already sound stereotype of impenetrable defense and just-barely-enough offense.

The Romans had their chances, but the Porcuian goalkeeper was sharp enough to stop those limited chances that slipped through the defense. On the other end of the field, the lone goal of the game was scored in the 32nd minute of play off of a set piece roughly 24 meters out. The beautiful shot curved delicately and struck the underside of the cross bar, putting it just out of reach for the Roman goalkeeper while assuring a goal would be scored.

========================================================================================

Matchday 19 Fixture (Quarterfinals)

Porcu - Rome-Byzantine Empire [1 - 0]

========================================================================================

Matchday 20 Preview (Quarterfinals)

New Harumf - Kingdom of Kandy
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Kandy Continues To Roll

Another historic win for the secretive nation tucked away in the Asian continent showcased fine footballing skills and a level of excitement football fans have come to expect of the World Cup. On football's biggest stage an African powerhouse was beaten and sent home, with the winning goal coming in the 65th minute of play and giving Kandy a solid two goal advantage. New Harumf would pull within one later, but hard-pressed for time the African nationals could simply not muster the strength needed to tie the game.

Having caught the attention of many a commentators and analysts, Kandy certainly is not being written off so easily anymore and now stands poised to capture the most prized title in football.

========================================================================================

Matchday 20 Fixture (Quarterfinals)

New Harumf - Kingdom of Kandy [2 - 3]

========================================================================================

Matchday 21 Preview (Semifinals)

Porcu - California
Paradise - Kingdom of Kandy
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Aelius
Member Avatar
Norman Warlord
20XX World Cup Live

"The World Cup so far has had its share of surprises and upsets. Before we get to the final four, I'll recap some of the biggest stories from the tournament so far."

"The biggest surprise so far has to be the Kandyan National Team reaching the semi-finals. A lot of insiders didn't have them getting out of Group G at all, but a win over Great Britain and strong scoring in a loss to Alexanderhaven sent them into a rematch with arch-rival Kasnyia, the world's #1. From there, a couple of astounding upsets over Kasnyia and New Harumf have them at the cusp of football immortality, against a team from Paradise which appeared to be having internal issues in their quarter-final against Icelaim."

"Speaking of Icelaim, wins against the heavily favored Confederacy and a surprising Thailand gave them the group B title, and a victory over the Falklands propelled them to their game with Paradise. Other surprises in the knockout round include North-West Afrika and the Western Union."

"For every surprise team, there are some disappointing performances. Venice was favored to win this World Cup in their homeland, but after being shut out in their two opening matches and booed off the pitch by the home crowd, Venice was only able to manage two goals against the Western Union to salvage their performance. It's expected that there will be some significant changes in Venetian football before their next international match. The Confederacy performed disappointingly as well, although the advent of American college football during the tournament diminished the coverage they got in the first place. Russia, Metz and Hamburg-Bremen also were below expectations."

"We've discussed Kandy already, now we'll take a look at the rest of the last four teams. Only Alexanderhaven and New Harumf made it out of their groups undefeated, and both teams have been eliminated already. That said, the three teams aside from Kandy are no stranger to the big stage. Third-ranked Porcu started out slow with a surprising loss to Kimmirut, but responded well with gut check wins against Kasnyia and Yshurak to take second in their group before taking down Alexanderhaven and Byzantium to get to this point."

"California's route was rather difficult as well. An opening draw to England and a disappointing draw to South-East Afrika relegated them to the second spot, wins against North-West Afrika and Ireland got them to this point. Paradise isn't the strongest team left, losing to Russia and tying with Draxis, but a victory over North-West Afrika at the end of the group got them second. Despite wins over England and Icelaim, there are questions about the team's skill and resolve, as well as their continuity."

"Now it's time for final predictions. The stronger teams, Porcu and California, were both probably expecting to be at this point, but they play each other in the first semi-final. I think Porcu's defense will be too much for California to overcome, and Porcu's familiarity with the big stage should propel them into the final. I think Kandy is getting Paradise at the right time. The Madmen are hot while Paradise seems to be crumbling around themselves. I think Kandy fights their way through to a showdown with the Porcuians, while Paradise gets knocked around by California. I think Porcu has too much skill to go down to Kandy. The Madmen should keep their heads held high no matter what happens, but I don't think they can capture the Cup on their first attempt."

"We've got four games left in this World Cup, and they promise to be classics. I'm Robert Lawrence for SKY Sports."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

OOC: Great post Lans.

IC:
Brilliant

One word immediately comes to mind when looking back on the semifinal matches yesterday and that word is 'brilliant'. A whole host of adjectives would also be appropriate, but 'brilliant' accurately conveys the exceptional poise and calm with which both California and the Kingdom of Kandy defeated their semifinal foes and advanced to the championship match of the 2nd World Cup without being superfluous.

Incredibly, the Porcuians lost at their own game. Tight defense and an opportunistic attack that netted the game's only goal off of a set piece in the 24th minute was enough to let California advance. Conversely, Kandy stormed back from an early deficit to score twice within a mere thirteen minutes, never letting up on their offensive pressure and keeping Paradise pinned back.

========================================================================================

Matchday 21 Fixture (Semifinals)

Porcu - California [0 - 1]
Paradise - Kingdom of Kandy [1 - 2]

========================================================================================

Matchday 22 Preview (Third Place)

Porcu - Paradise

========================================================================================

Matchday 23 Preview (Final)

Kingdom of Kandy - California
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Aelius
Member Avatar
Norman Warlord
"The great Maarten von Woensel shall be in attendance for this glorious occasion for His Kingdom, as his Madmen compete for the greatest sports title in existence: world football champions."
-Kandy Foreign Ministry
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Paradise Wins On Dubious Penalty

It came down to a debatable penalty called in the 71th minute of play to secure a victory for the Paradisians who, despite holding a man advantage since the 22nd minute when a Porcuian midfielder was red carded and sent off, could not muster a sustained attack for any descent period of time and seemed anemic for much of the match.

The Porcuians, opportunistic as always, nearly grabbed the lead just before halftime off of a corner, with the headball striking the near post, and then again eleven minutes into the second half, the strike from the set piece sailing just over the cross bar. The winning goal came from a penalty called in the Porcuian defensive zone and considering the increasingly physical and aggressive nature the match probably should not have been called. The subsequent play resulted in a low strike towards the net, the ball being redirected by the outstretched toe of a Paradisian attacker and past the Porcuian goalkeeper, who did not have a chance at stopping the ball once it was redirected.

========================================================================================

Matchday 22 Fixture (Third Place)

Porcu - Paradise [0 - 1]

========================================================================================

Matchday 23 Preview (Final)

Kingdom of Kandy - California
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Porcu
Member Avatar
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Champions!

Posted Image

With famous and important figures in attendance, from celebrities to the Governor of California to the His Majesty Maarten von Woensel the King of Kandy, the championship match was everything a football fan could ask for. Highly intense with plenty of chances for both teams, the match carried on for 51 minutes before a Californian attacker broke free from his defender and created enough space to neatly trap the ball before spinning and striking it towards the goal, sailing low and just underneath the Kandy goalkeeper's arm.

The hosting stadium was packed full and the Venetian Doge himself gave the winning players their individual medals before handing the World Cup trophy to the Californian captain, 27 year old defender Andreas Loew Anderstaadt. No doubt, the Doge would have preferred to hand off the trophy to his own countrymen, but Venice still performed wonderfully as the hosts to this 2nd World Cup Finals and have set a standard for future hosts to follow.

Initial reports from numerous streets of California depict a wild frenzy of flag-waving and song-singing people enjoying their country's incredible footballing achievement.

========================================================================================

Matchday 23 Fixture (Final)

Kingdom of Kandy - California [0 - 1]
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
« Previous Topic · International Sports · Next Topic »
Add Reply